A reason not to rely on GPS systems

google and the old yahoo maps/directions would take you within a 1/4 mile of my place then continue on another 10 miles
they also take you 45 miles out of your way to get there
i love seasonal and access roads

 

Hehehe..... Google Maps think I live next door too......

Doing a "reverse phone number lookup" on myself, my number says I am some woman in the middle of town...... Well, I have only had this number for..... twenty years.

Hey, I take being 'the grey man' seriously!

 

Use it (analog navigation technology) or lose it (the skill)

Exclusive use of digital technology, can result in the loss of competency in using analog technology and skills.

Who knows how to use a slide rule to do calculations these days? Navigating exclusively with digital GPS technology will slowly but surely result in the loss of skills by many technology junkies in being able to competently navigate map to ground, and use an analog compass.

The good things about an analog magnetic compass are...you can drop it in water...it doesn't need batteries, and won't be affected if satellite communications are down.

The good old fashioned prismatic, and orienteering compasses can be used at night (with appropriate precautions) without compromising security....a bonus if operating in hostile territory.

Like the sextant, mastery of navigation by using an analog compass is something of an art, as well as a science....both instruments require practice to become competent, and to maintain proficiency.

 

ill keep my compass and sextant
dont have a gps, dont want one
i can and have made my own compasses and sextants
how many out there can make their own gps?

 

Bear in mind, I am a map person. I live maps, I collect them, and I carry oodles of them.
Maps do not have batteries.
Maps do not rely on information being fed to them continually from satellites.
Maps do not need a user manual.
Maps do not TALK to you or beep (giving away your position).
And unless the magnetic poles drastically shift or your map is way out of date - a map will not cause you to drive into a building or into the water (unless you are the idiot trying to read the map while DRIVING).
It is a sad state of affairs that the sheeple have become reliant on technology to lead them. Satellites to guide them. Internet for information. Cable for news.
I am very "old skool", I guess and so are my kids.
We use maps, books (including encyclopedias and telephone directories), and newspapers (as with any mainstream news source - take with one large grain of salt).

 

maps are nice, when you have them
but that doesnt always happen

 

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."
- Ben Franklin

"Always be prepared" - Boy Scout Motto

'Nuff said.


​

 

Yep, I always have maps and compass - still does NOT negate the practical use of a GPS though. A quick glance to verify an upcoming turn while riding beats stopping on the roadside and wrestling with a map......
If the much-awaited solar flare/EMP event occurs, we'll have other worries besides our GPS not working.......

 

As a former Navigator i can use a sextant, compass, cross staff, and various wiz wheels (e6bcomputers) to determin wherabouts.... but the cost of sight reduction tables and their size will limit the use of a sextant on any BO I use GPS in conjunction with maps and other tools... why cripple yourself when you don't have to... two is one and one is none....

 

In Europe, the GPS has been quite handy, especially when not speaking the local language, lol. In almost 3 years our Navigon has only tried to take us on an autobahn that wasn't completed yet once. We were traveling on the autobahn and the gps said to follow it for 33 miles. Of course the exit for the end was coming up fast. I just drove a minute or two until the device recalculated and it took us the back roads around the mountain to get us where we needed to go. Needless to say that long section of autobahn was finished about 6 months later and it is so much faster than the back roads. Like anything, using a GPS requires common sense. If the directions don't seem right, then don't follow it blindly. Of course my family and I have maps for a few different countries in the vehicle, along with a compass. Having backups is important.
Of course it doesn't help driving through central Paris and needing gas for the car, and trying to rely on the gas stations listed on the GPS. Many of the "gas stations" were one pump up on the sidewalk and only accessible to motorcycles/scooters. Luckily one of the police I stopped and asked showed me on the map where a gas station for cars was at. So the map was handy to get to the gas station. It was a whoppin' 3 pumps and barely enough room for a vehicle to get to each pump.

How people can drive off a cliff or into water or a building is beyond me. They must have a stupid streak or not be paying attention.

 

I call it the "TV Mentality" - when some people get behind the wheel, the outside world does not really exist for them. It is a 'program' playing on the big screen before them. They rely on what the TV tells them, via the Talking Heads. Same with driving - just follow the signs and lights. So, they occasionally run right into that huge red firetruck or other normally very noticible object! Add in GPS, they follow the instructions blindly - it's high tech so it MUST be correct!

 

The big problem with the GPS is keeping the maps updated. They should be updated at least monthly to insure they are accurate. Some even have the feature to allow you to submit corrections to them to be incorporated into new maps.

 

I use mine to track tides' and range's..Fishing peak's,and to check my speed against my speedometer..Do i trust it 100%..No..However it's been fairly right on about peak feeding period's for fishing...

 

I have seen a gps get confused in the woods before. Compass said one way, GPS the other. I prefer to use a gps and constantly QC it.

 

Unfortunately, Garmin and the others only update their maps once a year.

 

If subscribed to the service, Navigon does European map updates every quarter. I need to find out what needs to be done to update my US/Canada maps (GPS came with 2 SD cards - one for US/Canada, and one for Europe). Another nice feature with the navigon is it tells me where the stationary traffic cameras are at in most of the European countries. I'm not sure if there is anything similar stateside or not.

 

I rely on my GPS for long trips, but I also watch out the window and pay attention to what's in front of me. If you don't pay attention to your surroundings, something bad will eventually happen.